For centuries, Europe’s monarchs competed to build the grandest, most opulent palaces imaginable. The results? Architectural masterpieces that continue to draw millions of visitors each year.
I’ve visited dozens of European palaces over the past 30 years, from the gilded halls of Versailles to the Moorish courtyards of the Alhambra. Each tells a different story of power, ambition and artistic vision.
To bring you the best recommendations, I’ve gathered insights from expert travel bloggers who’ve explored royal residences across the continent. Here are 25 of the most remarkable palaces in Europe you should consider for your bucket list.
Planning Your Palace Visits
- Best time to visit: Spring (April-May) and autumn (September-October) for smaller crowds. Avoid peak summer if possible.
- Book ahead: Popular palaces like Versailles, the Alhambra and Neuschwanstein sell out weeks in advance.
- Budget time: Major palaces need 2-4 hours minimum. Factor in gardens, which often rival the buildings themselves
Austria
Schönbrunn Palace
By Bridget of The Flashpacker
Vienna’s Schönbrunn Palace is Habsburg excess at its finest. This UNESCO World Heritage site started as a hunting lodge before becoming the imperial summer residence in the 18th century.
The palace contains 1,441 rooms, though only 40 are open to visitors. Mozart gave his first public performance here at age six, playing in the Mirror Room for Empress Maria Theresa.
If you are visiting Vienna at Christmas, don’t miss the Schönbrunn Christmas market in the palace forecourt. It’s smaller than others in the city but beautifully atmospheric.
Getting there: Take the U4 subway to Schönbrunn station. The palace is open year-round.
Denmark
Rosenborg Slot, Copenhagen
By Emma of Emma Jane Explores
Copenhagen is a city that European castle lovers will want to explore. There’s plenty of royal palace life with three palaces in the city centre: Christiansborg Slot, Amalienborg Slot and Rosenborg Slot.
If you are only able to visit one of the three major palaces in Copenhagen, though, make sure it is Rosenborg Slot.
Built in 1606, this beautiful summer palace is located in the King’s Garden (Kongens Have in Danish) in the city centre. Designed by former monarch Christian IV, this turreted fairytale-like castle is smaller than the other Danish palaces, but is unparalleled in its loveliness.
The Danish Crown Jewels are on display in the basement of the palace, and you can get right up close to them, much more so than the English Crown Jewels in London.
England
Buckingham Palace
By Bridget of The Flashpacker
You can’t discuss European palaces without mentioning Buck House. This iconic London landmark is both the official London residence of the British monarch and their administrative headquarters.
Originally built in 1703 as a townhouse for the Duke of Buckingham, it became the royal residence when Queen Victoria took the throne in 1837.
The Changing of the Guard ceremony takes place at 11 am on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday (daily in summer). It’s free to watch but gets crowded.
The State Rooms are open to visitors each summer when the monarch is at Balmoral. Book tickets well ahead.
Tower of London
By Bridget of The Flashpacker
The Tower has served as a fortress, royal palace, menagerie, mint, armoury and prison over its 1,000-year history.
Most people come for the Crown Jewels, world-famous gold and gem-encrusted ceremonial items worn by British kings and queens over the centuries. Expect to queue.
From 1100 until 1952, 8,000 people were imprisoned at the Tower of London for crimes ranging from treason and conspiracy to murder and sorcery. Its most famous occupants include Anne Boleyn and Guy Fawkes.
One of the best things to do at the Tower of London is to take a free 45-minute tour with one of the famous Yeoman Warders. These Beefeaters, as they are also known, are knowledgeable and entertaining in equal measure and deliver the Tower’s tales of pain and passion, treachery and torture with style.
France
Palace of Versailles
By Bridget of The Flashpacker
Versailles set the standard for European palace-building. Louis XIV transformed his father’s hunting lodge into this extravagant symbol of absolute power, employing 40,000 workers over 50 years.
The Hall of Mirrors is the star attraction, where the Treaty of Versailles was signed in 1919. The six Grand Appartements drip with gold and artistic treasures.
The gardens deserve as much time as the palace itself. André Le Nôtre’s formal French design includes canals, geometric flower beds and the Grand and Petit Trianon palaces.
Getting there: Trains from Paris take 20-35 minutes. Arrive early to beat the crowds. Consider a skip-the-line tour.
Palais des Papes, Avignon
By Nadine of Le Long Weekend
This fortress-like medieval palace served as the papal residence in the 14th century when the papacy temporarily moved from Rome to Avignon.
Each pope left his architectural mark on the building. After the French Revolution, it became a prison and execution site before its 20th-century transformation into a museum, which has become one of the most popular things to do in Avignon.
The palace, nearby Pont d’Avignon and episcopal complex form a UNESCO World Heritage site.
You’ll receive a HistoPad with your ticket that creates an interactive tour in your language. Free parking is available across the bridge on l’Ile de la Barthelasse.
Germany
Neuschwanstein Castle, Munich
By Krystianna of Volumes & Voyages
This 19th-century fantasy castle inspired Walt Disney’s Sleeping Beauty castle. Built for King Ludwig II of Bavaria, construction began in 1869 but was never completed.
Ludwig, known as the Mad King, died under mysterious circumstances just weeks after moving in. His obsession with Richard Wagner’s operas influenced the castle’s elaborate decoration.
Visiting: The most common way to get to the palace is on a day excursion from a nearby city. There are a few ways to get to Neuschwanstein Castle from Munich, making it one of the best day trips in the area. You can take the train, drive there, or visit on a day tour.
The only way in is by guided tour. Book tickets online well in advance.
Würzburg Residence
By Daniel and Ilona of Top Travel Sights
The 18th-century Würzburg Residence in Germany is a UNESCO-listed Baroque masterpiece that rivals Versailles.
Prince-Bishop Johann von Schönborn commissioned it, though construction took decades and cost far more than budgeted. The result justified the expense: rooms decorated with gold ornaments, original furniture and spectacular frescoes.
Explore the interior first, then walk through the gardens. Guided tours help you appreciate the building’s history and architectural details.
Getting there: Visiting Würzburg on a day trip by train is one of the best things to do in Frankfurt (1-2 hours by train). It is also an easy day trip from Nuremberg.
Nymphenburg Palace, Munich
From Rachel of Means to Explore
Although activities in Munich revolve around its historic city centre, there are many incredible day trip opportunities nearby. Take tram 17 or bus 51 west from central Munich to discover this Bavarian royal summer residence.
A grand canal and fountain dominate the entrance. Inside, the ballroom features crystal chandeliers and gold detailing, while King Ludwig I’s Gallery of Beauties displays portraits of Munich’s most attractive women.
The Marstallmuseum in the stables houses ornate royal carriages, including gold examples.
The enormous garden park contains four smaller palaces, built as cosy alternatives when the royals tired of the main residence.
Sanssouci Palace, Potsdam
By Sam of My Flying Leap
Sanssouci is a beautiful palace in Potsdam, Germany that was built for Frederick the Great of Prussia in the mid-1700s. “Sans souci” means “without concern” in French.
Though smaller than Versailles, it’s equally impressive. The ten main rooms are large and luxuriously decorated. The gardens are outstanding.
Frederick earned the nickname “potato king” for introducing the crop to bread-loving Prussia. He cleverly marketed potatoes as royal food to overcome resistance. Today, people still leave potatoes on his grave in the palace grounds.
Getting there: Easy day trip by train from Berlin.
Italy
Doge’s Palace, Venice
By Linda of La Dolce Fit Vita
This might not look like a typical fairytale palace, but it’s extraordinary. The Doge’s Palace is one of Venice’s must-see sights, and embodies its history as one of the world’s most powerful republics.
The infamous Council of Ten ruled here, conducting trials in absolute secrecy and maintaining an extensive spy network. Guided tours take you through interrogation chambers and the torture room.
Convicted prisoners crossed the Bridge of Sighs directly from trial to their cells, taking one last glimpse of the Venetian lagoon before lifelong imprisonment.
But the palace isn’t all grim. As the official residence of the Doge (Venice’s leader), it’s adorned with exquisite artwork. The exterior showcases gorgeously carved marble in a distinctive Venetian Gothic style.
Visiting: Located in Piazza San Marco. Consider the Secret Itineraries Tour for access to hidden rooms and passageways.
La Venaria Reale, Turin
By Bridget of The Flashpacker
Turin has its own Royal Palace in the city centre, but La Venaria Reale is on a different scale entirely, and is one of the largest royal residences in Europe.
Charles Emmanuel II of Savoy commissioned it in the 1650s as a hunting lodge, close enough to Turin for a quick escape but grand enough to remind everyone who was the boss. It was later expanded with the addition of the Great Gallery and the Church of St Hubert.
The Great Gallery is the showstopper, a vast stuccoed space fifteen metres high and 73 metres long. Sixty hectares of garden lie behind the palace, with a canal leading down to the Temple of Diana.
Getting there: Bus 11 from central Turin or the SFM train from Torino Porta Susa, with a short walk to the palace gates.
Palazzo Pitti, Florence
By Bridget of The Flashpacker
Hugging the River Arno, and a short distance from the Ponte Vecchio, is Florence’s Pallazo Pitti (Pitti Palace is a must-see for art lovers visiting Florence or Tuscany.
Banker Luca Pitti built it in 1457, but Cosimo de Medici and his wife, Eleanor of Toledo, bought it in the 1540s and relocated from Palazzo Vecchio. It remained the Medici residence until 1868.
The palace houses four museums with works by Titian and Raphael. The adjoining Boboli Gardens, landscaped by Cosimo in the 16th century, feature grottos and grand fountains including the Fountain of Neptune and the Fountain of the Ocean.
Latvia
Rundāle Palace
By Martha of Quirky Globetrotter
The “Baroque Pearl” sits 1.5 hours south of Riga in Latvia’s countryside.
Built for Duke Ernest Johann von Biron in the 18th century, construction began in 1736 but paused for 22 years when Biron was exiled. Work resumed in 1768.
Both World Wars damaged the palace, but restoration from 1972 to 2015 returned it to its former glory.
Historians in 18th-century dress guide tours through the elaborate throne room, the duke and duchess’s chambers, and staterooms filled with portraits and oil paintings. The ceilings feature exquisite cherub stuccos and chandeliers.
The extensive grounds include orchards, ponds, a hunting park, greenhouses and manicured rose gardens.
Getting there: Public transport or guided tours from Riga.
Luxembourg
Grand Ducal Palace
By Tjaša of The Travel Momento
Luxembourg is the only remaining grand duchy in the world. This makes the Palace of the Grand Dukes, also known as Grand Ducal Palace, rather special and a sight you should not miss while visiting Luxembourg.
The building served as Luxembourg’s town hall before becoming the official ducal residence in 1890. The Duke performs his duties here and accommodates foreign heads of state during official visits.
The 15th-century Flemish Renaissance facade is impressive. In July and August, you can book guided tours of the interior, known for marble staircases and function rooms.
Watch the changing of the guard ceremony in front of the palace during the summer. Afterwards, explore the Grund, one of Luxembourg City’s oldest neighbourhoods and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Netherlands
Royal Palace of Amsterdam
By Dymphe of Dymabroad
Built around 1650 during the Dutch Golden Age, this was originally Amsterdam’s town hall and the largest non-religious building in the world. It became a royal palace in the early 19th century and is now an official residence of the Dutch royal family.
The architecture is magnificent, but the interior paintings are equally worth seeing.
Getting there: 10-minute walk from Amsterdam Central Station. It’s especially nice to visit during winter in Amsterdam.
Poland
Wilanow Palace, Warsaw
By Or of My Path in the World
This 17th-century palace is one of the best places to visit in Warsaw. It is one of the few city monuments that survived World War II intact.
Built for King John III Sobieski, it was enlarged and remodelled by later Polish royals. Inside, you can wander through rooms, including the Dutch Room and White Room. The gorgeous gardens transform into an illuminated wonderland in winter with thousands of lights.
Visiting: Open Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. Free admission on Thursdays. Easily reached by bus (180 or 116) from central Warsaw.
Portugal
National Palace of Mafra
By Jorge & Cláudia of Portugal Things
The enormous National Mafra Palace, also known as the Mafra Convent-Palace, is a Baroque and Neoclassical palace in Mafra, about 25 km from Lisbon.
Constructed between 1717 and 1755, it has more than 1200 rooms, 4700 doors and windows, 156 staircases, and 29 patios. It earned UNESCO World Heritage status in 2019.
The exterior features an imposing 220-metre facade of local limestone with two square towers topped by bulbous domes.
Interior tours take you through luxurious rooms, including the King’s and Queen’s chambers. The real showstopper is the Joanina Library, considered one of the world’s most beautiful, housing 36,000 volumes representing Western knowledge from the 14th to 19th centuries.
Pena Palace, Sintra
By Carol of Is This Even a Road
Pena Palace looks like it escaped from a Disney film. This brightly coloured UNESCO World Heritage site is considered one of Portugal’s Seven Wonders.
King Ferdinand II built the extravagant yellow and red palace in the 19th century as a royal summer home. The medieval Our Lady of Pena Chapel predates the palace and remains part of the complex.
Getting there: 34km from Lisbon. Accessible by car or train to Sintra with a bus transfer. There’s also a steep 50-minute garden trail walk.
Buy tickets for just the park or the combined park and palace. Park-only tickets give excellent views of the gardens, chapel and exterior. The combined ticket accesses the ornate staterooms.
Arrive early to avoid crowds. It’s an excellent place to visit if you have a full day in Lisbon on a cruise.
Romania
Peles Castle
By Emily of Wander-Lush
Though commonly called a castle, Peles is technically a palace, and one of Europe’s most impressive.
Built in Neo-Renaissance style between 1873 and 1914, Peles sits in the Carpathian Mountains near the pretty Romanian town of Sinaia, roughly 1.5 hours from Bucharest by train.
King Carol I spared no expense. When inaugurated in 1883, this was the first palace in the world fully powered by locally produced electricity.
The aesthetic blends European styles, including Saxon murals and Baroque woodcarvings. More than 170 rooms include themed spaces (Florentine, Moorish, French).
After time under state control during communism, it was returned to the Royal Family and now serves as a museum.
Getting there: Combine with Bran Castle (Dracula’s Castle) on an organised day trip from Bucharest.
Russia
Catherine Palace, St. Petersburg
By Bridget of The Flashpacker
Located in the town of Tsarskoye Selo, 30 km south of St. Petersburg, the Catherine Palace is a spectacular fake.
Peter the Great presented this summer residence to his wife, Catherine I, in the early 18th century. Forty years later, it was rebuilt in flamboyant Rococo style.
When the Siege of Leningrad lifted in 1944, retreating German forces had destroyed the residence, leaving only ten halls intact. Today’s palace is a reconstruction.
Even the famous Amber Room is a replica. The Russians hid the original panels beneath wallpaper as German forces advanced, but the Germans discovered and disassembled them. The originals’ fate is unknown. Today’s Amber Room is the result of a 24-year reconstruction completed in 2003.
Getting there: Bus from Moskovskaya, Zvezdnaya or Kupchino metro stations (50-60 minutes). Buy tickets online in summer to skip queues, or consider an organised tour for convenience.
Spain
Alhambra Palace, Granada
By Milijana of World Travel Connector
The Alhambra is a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the world’s most visited palaces. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
This architectural and artistic masterpiece mixes Roman, Moorish and Renaissance styles. The most impressive sections are the opulent Nasrid Palaces, with the famous Patio of the Lions and the exquisite Generalife Palace and Gardens.
Important: Daily visitor numbers are limited. Buy tickets online via the official Alhambra site well in advance. Entry to the Nasrid Palaces is only allowed during your ticketed time slot, but you can tour the rest of the complex all day. An Alhambra visit takes 3 hours on average.
Real Alcazar of Seville
By Bridget of The Flashpacker
The Real Alcázar of Seville is a jewel box of patios and halls with gardens scented with jasmine and myrtle.
Pedro the Cruel built it between 1350 and 1369 on the site of a former Moorish fortress. Muslim workers from Granada designed and built the palace, making it one of the best surviving examples of Mudéjar architecture, which fuses Moorish and European techniques.
The Patio de las Doncellas (Patio of the Maidens) is the showstopper, featuring delicately carved stucco, azulejos (tiles) and carved wooden doors. The rambling gardens include tinkling fountains, reflecting pools, stone benches decorated with azulejos, fragrant orange trees and strutting peacocks.
Visiting tip: Arrive when it opens to beat the crowds. Buy tickets in advance at busy times to skip epic queues.
Royal Palace of Madrid
By Ucman of BrownBoyTravels
Europe’s largest functioning palace by floor area has 3,418 rooms. It’s the official seat of Spain’s royal family, though used mainly for ceremonies today.
The palace fronts the vast Plaza de la Armería near Madrid Cathedral. Inside you’ll find an impressive armoury, an ornate library and royal apartments with beautifully frescoed ceilings. The expansive gardens bloom almost year-round
Free entry on certain dates of the year; check the official website.
La Alcazaba, Málaga
By Cristina of My Little World of Travelling
When visiting Málaga, you cannot miss the opportunity to see La Alcazaba.
This Moorish fortress-palace in central Málaga was built between 1057 and 1063 during Muslim rule of Al-Andalus.
Though primarily defensive, the Alcazaba didn’t sacrifice beauty. Impressive patios surround gardens and pools. The gardens feature fragrant jasmine flowers, a symbol of Málaga.
Next door, visit the remains of a Roman theatre or have lunch at El Pimpi, a traditional restaurant with lovely palace views.
Sweden
Drottningholm Palace, Stockholm
By Dhara of It’s Not About the Miles
Visiting Drottningholm Palace should be at the top of your list of things to do in Stockholm. Unlike Stockholm’s city-centre Royal Palace (used only officially), Drottningholm is where Sweden’s royals actually live.
This UNESCO World Heritage site was modelled after Versailles, complete with golden gates. Located on its own island in the Stockholm archipelago, it’s best reached by ferry for fabulous water views.
Tour the reception rooms inside and explore the formal gardens. The extensive grounds feature tree-lined pathways. Don’t miss the beautiful Drottningholm Palace Theatre, which still hosts performances and houses original 18th-century stage machinery, or the Chinese Pavilion, with its collection of Chinese artefacts.
Getting there: Local train and bus, or pay extra for the scenic ferry ride.
Turkey
Topkapi Palace, Istanbul
By Roxanne of Faraway Worlds
Built in the 15th century, Topkapi Palace was the Ottoman sultans’ home and the empire’s administrative centre for 350 years.
The building combines medieval castle exteriors with overwhelming interior opulence. It sprawls across four courts, a treasury and a six-floor harem complex.
Now a UNESCO-listed museum, the palace is well worth visiting. Located in the historic Sultanahmet district, easily accessible regardless of where you stay in Istanbul, either by walking or via the metro.
Explore independently or take a tour to learn the history. The harem costs extra. Closed Tuesdays.
Planning Your Palace Trip
Europe’s palaces take you back centuries, their grand ballrooms and royal chambers telling stories of power, ambition and artistic vision.
While everyone knows Versailles, Buckingham Palace and the Alhambra, many lesser-known palaces are equally worth exploring. Start planning your royal residence tour with this list as your guide.
Have you visited any of these European palaces? Which would you add to the list? Let me know in the comments.
About Bridget
Bridget Coleman has been a passionate traveller for more than 30 years. She has visited 70+ countries, most as a solo traveller.
Articles on this site reflect her first-hand experiences.
To get in touch, email her at hello@theflashpacker.net or follow her on social media.